mountainsoft
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Are you sure your payout numbers are correct? Upon death of the pension holder, the survivor receives the discounted amount. In case of 100% the benefit stays the same. In case of 67%, the original benefit is increased because the survivor receives less. I would think the original benefit would be more under the 50% option because the survivor's benefit would be 17% less than the 67% option and half the original benefit.
The state pension plan has an online calculator that estimates the payout for each option. Yes, the more we elect for the survivor, the less we receive for the combined payout.